Abstract
The purpose of this study is to exploit the euryhaline nature of commercially attractive species for their cultivation in freshwater aquaponic systems. This approach may increase the profitability of aquaponic production in coastal countries where the consumption of marine fish is traditional and of commercial relevance. For this purpose, juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were reared in an aquaponic freshwater (AFW) system and an aquaponic saltwater (ASW) system (salinity 20 ppt), in combination with chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) seedlings, a salt tolerant plant. At the end of the trial, nitrate and phosphate concentration in water significantly increased in the ASW system, suggesting that the ability of B. vulgaris to absorb these substances was limited by salinity. Total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry revealed that the concentration of some oligoelements such as Fe remained lower with respect to the concentration in the freshwater hydroponic solution, in both AFW and ASW. FTIR-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy on plants showed that growth at high salinity affected their lipid content. In the case of fish, freshwater had no effects on mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acid profiles, although saturated fatty acids were significantly decreased in D. labrax reared in AFW. Our results demonstrates that it is possible to increase aquaponic profitability by farming D. labrax juveniles in an aquaponic freshwater system together with Beta vulgaris, obtaining good quality products.
Highlights
Aquaponics combine the principal advantages of the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)and hydroponics
Aquaponic filled media systems were made by Aquaguide s.a.s. (Falconara Marittima, IT) and were composed of a 500 L fish tank and a 2 m2 plant growth bed filled with expanded clay (LECA, Milan, Italy)
NO3 and PO4 in the water were more concentrated in aquaponic saltwater (ASW) than in aquaponic freshwater (AFW), suggesting that a salinity value of 20 ppt may affect the ability of B. vulgaris to assimilate these substances
Summary
Aquaponics combine the principal advantages of the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)and hydroponics. Aquaponics combine the principal advantages of the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS). Aquaponics recirculates the water, accumulating waste such as nitrogen and phosphate that derive from urine and feces produced by fish. The wastewater is pumped into a plant grow bed where plant roots absorb and remove nitrogen and phosphate, principal causes of eutrophication when released in the natural environment. This process purifies the water that becomes ready to be recirculated in the fish tank. Thanks to this process, aquaponics allows for water to be used efficiently [1]. Water savings connected to landless cultivation permits the use of non-cultivated soil and requalification of disused areas
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